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东风

東風
dōngfēng
noun #30,437

Meanings

  1. 1 east wind
  2. 2 spring breeze
  3. 3 favorable conditions, revolutionary momentum
  4. 4 Dongfeng (Chinese auto brand and missile family)

Examples

HSK 6
春天到了，东风吹绿了田野。
Chūntiān dào le, dōngfēng chuī lǜ le tiányě.
Spring has arrived; the east wind has turned the fields green.
HSK 6
他借着改革的东风创办了公司。
Tā jiè zhe gǎigé de dōngfēng chuàngbàn le gōngsī.
He rode the favorable wind of reform and started his company.
HSK 7-9
万事俱备，只欠东风。
Wànshì jùbèi, zhǐ qiàn dōngfēng.
Everything is ready except for the east wind (i.e., one crucial element is still missing).

Tips

culture
In Chinese tradition the east wind blows in spring, so 东风 is poetically synonymous with renewal and good fortune, the opposite of the cold, bleak 西风 'west wind.' The phrase 万事俱备，只欠东风 ('everything is ready, only the east wind is lacking') comes from the Battle of Red Cliffs in 《三国演义》, where Zhuge Liang allegedly 'borrowed' an east wind to enable the famous fire attack on Cao Cao's fleet.
history
Mao's 1957 line 东风压倒西风 ('the east wind prevails over the west wind') reframed the term as 'revolutionary/socialist forces vs. Western imperialism.' That political reading is also why China's intercontinental ballistic missiles are named the 东风 (DF) series, and why 东风汽车 (Dongfeng Motor) is one of the country's largest state-owned automakers.

Stroke Order

东 dōng
风 fēng